session

American  

[sesh-uhn] / ˈsɛʃ ən /

noun

• sessions
  plural

1. the sitting together of a court, council, legislature, or the like, for conference or the transaction of business.

   Congress is now in session.

2. a single continuous sitting, or period of sitting, of persons so assembled.

3. a continuous series of sittings or meetings of a court, legislature, or the like.

4. the period or term during which such a series is held.

5. sessions, (in English law) the sittings or a sitting of justices in court, usually to deal with minor offenses, grant licenses, etc.

6. a single continuous course or period of lessons, study, etc., in the work of a day at school.

   Through a mixture of both lectures and lab sessions, you will develop a broad engineering skill base.

7. a portion of the year into which instruction is organized at a college or other educational institution.

   She’s enrolled in a six-week summer session.

8. the governing body of a local Presbyterian church, composed of the pastor who moderates and the elders.

9. a period of time during which a group of persons meets to pursue a particular activity.

   It was the last show before their recording sessions this week where they will produce their first album.

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session British  

/ ˈsɛʃən /

noun

1. the meeting of a court, legislature, judicial body, etc, for the execution of its function or the transaction of business

2. a single continuous meeting of such a body

3. a series or period of such meetings

4. education

   1. the time during which classes are held

   2. a school or university term or year

5. Presbyterian Church the judicial and administrative body presiding over a local congregation and consisting of the minister and elders

6. a meeting of a group of musicians to record in a studio

7. a meeting of a group of people to pursue an activity

8. any period devoted to an activity

9. See Court of Session

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session Idioms  

1. see bull session.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• presession
  noun
• sessional
  adjective
• sessionally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sessions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of session

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English sessio(u)n, cessio(u)n, from Anglo-French, Middle French session, from Latin sessiōn- (stem of sessiō ) “sitting, bench, law-court sitting,” equivalent to sess(us) (past participle of sedēre to sit ¹ ) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

A session is a specific block of time dedicated to something. Court may be in session, or school may be in session, or you just might find yourself enjoying a massage therapy session. The noun session also means a meeting of a board or committee to conduct business. The school board, for example, may hold a special session to discuss budget issues. Session can also refer to a gathering of spiritualists at a séance or a meeting with a psychic. You might have a session with a medium who claims she's delivering a message to you from your great-great-grandmother.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

session sessions

Allen cites a busy legislative session in which he was an author of bills signed by the governor that cracked down on the insurance industry.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

JGBs fell in price terms in morning Tokyo session on the prospects for a quicker pace of BOJ rate hikes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

But their famous sparring session in 2010, when Joshua was still an amateur, soon became the topic of conversation.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

Two days into Lakers training camp while integrating nine new players during yet another physical practice session, Austin Reaves has been impressed with just how good this Lakers group can be.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

They had agreed to work together to help Dickie and Ginny, but after a brainstorming session that had been more like a brain drizzle session, they still had no idea how to do it.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

However, eight straight sessions of inflows read as $999 million, $715 million, $347 million, $191 million, $135 million, then $31 million on Monday, she says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Some teachers host training sessions for other educators and amplify positive social-media posts about Google and AI in school.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

The PFA course includes sessions from prominent figures, such as Brighton chief executive Paul Barber, designed to help students understand how different areas of the football industry operate.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

That idea became the musical firmament for “Rubber Soul,” which was recorded in a tight four weeks across 17 studio sessions and released in December 1965.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

She had gestured to the Rolodex on her desk during one of their earliest sessions, then turned the dial to flip through the contact cards.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

Related Words

• conference
• discussion
• hearing
• period
• term